175 Yrs. Vegan, VegNews Winners, Major Vegan Study, BECAUSE

Howdy! Welcome to the 49th Edition of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter. Howard s back from his two and a half month No More Bull! Fall Tour, and after traveling

Message 1 of 1
, Nov 22, 2005

Howdy! Welcome to the 49th Edition of the Mad Cowboy Newsletter.

Howard's back from his two and a half month "No More Bull! Fall Tour," and
after traveling near 13,000 miles by car, he's still going strong. Howard
and Willow have just finished relocating from Virginia to Washington. He's
given us a bunch of photos from some of his recent travels and the links
are further on down in this issue.

Reading onward, you'll find a special recipe for Thanksgiving, results of
the World's Largest Vegetarian Survey (kudos to VegNews for doing this
every year!), and what's been in the news regarding BSE, CWD, and concerns
about finding prions in both mammary glands and, well, urine.

There's also articles about new studies showing that meat is bad for your
lungs, transfers non-human molecules if consumed, the relationship between
hamburgers and asthma, and some stats about "Beef versus Pasta." And don't
miss the summary of results (and important advice to vegans) from Dr.
Klaper's "Vegan Health Study" of over 900 vegans, and a very funny activist
Flash animation: "Climate Mash."

Moving along, you'll know that the oldest living creature on the Earth is
vegan (and who she is...), find out about an important piece of legislation
concerning animals and disasters (sign the petition!), learn about a great
new film regarding animals & humans narrated by Juaquin Phoenix, read about
raw foods "pros and cons," understand how to add 4 extra years to your
lifespan, and know where to post pictures of your "vegan meals" to help
answer the common question: "What Do Vegans Eat?"

************************************************
*00: Quote from Howard
************************************************
"The best way I've found to recruit friends and loved ones to a plant-based
diet is to invite them over for meals, and show them that we have not
deprived ourselves of anything except the diseases they are prone to. Show
them how easy it is to eat from the unlimited plant kingdom, and how rich
the choices are. Expose them to foods they've never eaten before. You're
better off serving the seitan stew than preaching the gospel of animal
rights. People either feel for animals or they don't; while I believe they
ought not be shielded from seeing what a slaughterhouse looks like, and the
conditions in which their "food" animals exist, I also think it serves no
purpose to browbeat them over animal rights. If you must browbeat them, do
so about their health."

(from Howard's New Book "No More Bull!" p. 85)

"No More Bull!" now available at:
http://www.madcowboy.com/02_VVFprods.002.html

************************************************
*02: Winners Announced: World's Largest Veg Survey
************************************************
WINNERS ANNOUNCED OF WORLD'S LARGEST SURVEY OF VEGETARIAN FOOD, PEOPLE &
PLACES: (11/01/05): "VegNews, America's premier vegetarian lifestyle
magazine [with a readership of over 150,000], has announced the winners of
the 2005 Veggie Awards in their November/December edition. With over 10,000
readers voting for their favorite vegetarian products in over 70
categories, this annual survey is the largest of its kind in the world. The
awards showcase the best of vegetarian in categories ranging from soy milk,
veggie burger and restaurant to celebrity, website and even most
veg-friendly city.

"These companies are leaders in the natural food industry and continue to
develop high-quality vegetarian products. We are pleased to honor their
accomplishments with a Veggie Award," said VegNews Magazine publisher
Joseph Connelly.

THIS WEEK'S VEGAN MIND-BENDER:
"Which of the following countries has the most people with diabetes in the
world?"

(a) India (b) USA (c) Britain (d) China (e) Russia

Please e-mail guesses to: webmaster@... with the word "contest"
in your subject line by NLT December 15th, 2005.

[Many thanks to Joe Connelly, Editor, VegNews, who has offered a FREE
one-year subscription to a winner chosen at random those submitting the
correct answer to each MC Newsletter's Contest. Our thanks to Joe, and you
can learn more about VegNews at:

http://www.vegnews.com or e-mail: editor@... or call 1.415.665.6397]

************************************************
*04: A Special Holiday Recipe from "No More Bull!"
************************************************
SPICE ROAST

Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl; make a well in the center of the
mixture. Combine vegetable broth and soy sauce, add to dry ingredients and
knead. Transfer mixture to a 9x5x3-inch nonstick loaf pan. Add sliced
onion to top of loaf. Combine hot water and soy sauce; pour over loaf pan.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool
before slicing. Serve with golden gravy.

************************************************
*05: Mad Cow Info Round-up
************************************************
INSPECTOR TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST USDA: (09/06/05):
"The federal meat inspector who was charged with misconduct by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture after he claimed mad cow disease safeguards were
being violated at slaughterhouses told United Press International he plans
to file charges against the agency. Stan Painter, a USDA inspector and
chair of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, the
inspectors union, notified the agency's management in a letter last
December he was aware of instances where the riskiest parts of older cows
were not being marked or removed from processing. The USDA did not respond
to Painter's concerns until he made his letter known to news outlets.

For months, USDA officials denied Painter's allegations in media reports,
saying they had investigated and found no evidence to substantiate his
claims. The NRs [noncompliance reports] released last month under the
Freedom of Information Act, however, showed 1,036 violations of SRM
[specified risk materials] regulations in at least 35 states, Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands, with some plants being cited repeatedly for
infractions. The USDA delayed releasing the documents for eight months
despite a federal law mandating a response within 30 days.

Sometime around June the U.S. Embassy in Japan posted a notice on its Web
site stating USDA officials had found no evidence to substantiate Painter's
claims and had requested a criminal investigation into his actions. The
notice was removed in July after UPI reported its existence."

USDA EASES SLAUGHTER RULES ON MAD-COW: (09/08/05): "The government is
easing rules intended to prevent the spread of mad-cow disease among
people, allowing part of a cow's small intestine to be used as casing for
some sausages. Rules in effect after discovery of the first U.S. case of
mad-cow disease in 2003 required the removal of the small intestine when a
cow was slaughtered. The Agriculture Department (USDA) and Food and Drug
Administration cleared the way yesterday for a portion of the small
intestine to be used as a casing for specialty sausage. The rules still
prohibit use of the lower end section of the small intestine, called the
distal ileum. Studies have shown the distal ileum can contain the
infectious protein that causes mad-cow disease.

The Agriculture Department now knows more about effectively separating the
distal ileum from the small intestine, said [the USDA]... The department is
aware of the financial hardship on businesses that make ethnic sausages..."

DENMARK CONFIRMS 14TH CASE OF MAD COW DISEASE: (09/09/05): "Denmark on
Friday was cited by Agence France Presse as confirming its 14th case of mad
cow disease after a nine-year-old dairy cow in the northern Jutland region
was found to have been infected with the brain-wasting illness."

GOVERNMENT TO REMOVE MAD COW CONTROL RULE: (09/15/05): "(Britain): The
country's farm ministry said on Thursday it had accepted a proposal to
allow some older cattle to enter the food chain, opening the way for the
removal of one of the main measures used to combat the deadly mad cow
disease. The news provided a major boost to the country's beef industry
which was devastated in 1995 following an outbreak of mad cow in the
nation's herds. The move was based on advice from the Food Standards
Agency."

U.S. BAN ON JAPANESE BEEF CONTINUES: (09/20/05): "Angry with Japan for
refusing to lift a mad cow-related ban on U.S. beef, senators retaliated
Tuesday by voting to retain a ban on Japanese beef. Last fall, Japan
agreed to lift the ban but still hasn't done so. In June, U.S. authorities
confirmed a second domestic case in a Texas-born cow. Japan, in contrast,
has found 20 cases of mad cow disease. U.S. regulators proposed last month
to partially lift the ban on Japanese beef.

Japan's stalling is "just unfair," said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. "There
have been two cases of mad cow disease in the United States, one from
Canada," Nelson said in a Senate speech. "Statistically, it's nonexistent,
in terms of the millions of head of cattle that are sent to slaughter every
year."

The U.S. bans beef from all countries with confirmed cases of mad cow
disease, including Japan. The exception is Canada, which resumed limited
beef shipments in 2003 and live cattle shipments earlier this year."

PRIONS OF MAD COW DISEASE COULD SHOW UP IN URINE: (10/18/05): "Prions
responsible for the transmission of mad cow disease and scrapie could end
up in urine, according to Swiss researchers. Prions are deformed brain
proteins that are contagious and responsible for the transmission of all
types of brain wasting diseases in cows, sheep, dear/elk, and humans. In
the report scheduled to be published in the journal Science this month,
Adrano Aguzzi and colleagues from the University Hospital of Zurich said
prions could show up in urine under certain circumstances.

For a long time, the government held a belief that prions (infectious
agents) are mostly present in the brain and spinal cords. Because of this
notion, many parts of cattle are still allowed for use in animal feed.
Recent studies by others found prions are present in some organs including
the liver."

NEW GERMAN MAD COW CASE CONFIRMED IN BAVARIA: (10/25/05): "A new case of
the deadly mad cow disease has been discovered in Bavaria, the German
state's Ministry of Environment, Health and Consumer Protection said on
Tuesday. This was the 139th case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
confirmed in a cow in Bavaria, the second most populous state in Germany
and the largest in terms of land mass, the ministry said in a statement."

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE FOUND IN MOOSE: (10/26/05): "Chronic wasting
disease (CWD), a prion disease that resembles bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE), has been found in a wild moose for the first time,
Colorado wildlife officials announced recently. Previously the disease had
been found in the wild only in deer and elk. The only previous finding of
CWD in a moose was in an experiment in which a captive moose was fed some
infective material...

Will Hueston, DVM, an expert on BSE and related diseases, told CIDRAP News
that the Colorado finding "demonstrates that the CWD agent has a broader
range than we hoped. Everyone hoped it would be restricted to deer and
elk." CWD has now been found in wild deer and elk in eight states,
including four states east of the Mississippi, plus two Canadian provinces,
according to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, a coalition of wildlife
conservation groups."
See also:

FRANKENSTEER DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO BEEF ABOUT: (10/27/05): "Ever wonder
what exactly is in that ground beef you buy at the supermarket? If you're
like the majority of Canadian consumers, you may not want to know. Some
things are better left well enough alone, right? Wrong - at least
according to the creators of Frankensteer... The homegrown doc reveals
what's really involved in the North American beef industry, including some
startling facts about inspection rules, mad cow disease and the use of
drugs and growth hormones. This is not a pro-vegetarian propaganda film,
although the troubling revelations certainly inspire a meat-free lifestyle.

"We have taken this benign, natural vegetarian and turned it first into a
cannibal, and when that didn't work, into a vampire," narrates Ted
Remerowski, Frankensteer's writer. "We've turned its brain and spinal cord
into toxic sites. We have managed to turn its feces into something that
routinely makes us sick and occasionally kills us. We have taken the cow
and used it as our experiment in developing the perfect food machine.

"In the process, we've created our very own frankensteer."

[Very edited from from the scary article at:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Entertainment/Showbiz/2005/10/27/1280858-sun.html

AUSTRIA: MAD COW DISEASE FOUND: (10/28/05): "A case of mad cow disease
was found in a slaughterhouse in Salzburg in central Austria, veterinary
officials said on Friday. It was the third case of mad cow in Austria
since 2001, when adequate testing for the disease began."

CWD OUTBREAK CHANGES IMPORT REGULATIONS: (10/30/05): "If you're planning
to hunt deer in West Virginia this season, your options just changed on
what you can bring back to Virginia. Chronic wasting disease surfaced in
the Mountain State this summer, and the Old Dominion wants no part - or
parts - of it. A regulation adopted Thursday by the Virginia Department of
Game and Inland Fisheries board prohibits importing or possessing whole
deer carcasses or specified parts of carcasses from states or Canadian
provinces where CWD has been detected. Although the restriction has been
in the works for months, the outbreak in West Virginia gave it new impetus."

PRIONS SUSPECTED IN MILK: (10/31/05): Could sheep pass a fatal brain
disease between them through their milk? The inflamed mammary glands of
sheep have been found to contain protein particles that cause scrapie, a
sickness similar to mad cow disease. This suggests that the suspect
proteins, called prions, may also be present in the milk of infected
animals.

If prions exist in the milk of cows infected with both an inflammatory
illness and mad cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE), this raises concerns for human health. Consumption of
prion-contaminated meat from cows with BSE is believed to cause the fatal
variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in people; so might contaminated
milk.

Adriano Aguzzi, the lead researcher on the study, has not detected prions
in milk itself, because it is difficult to analyse for the abnormal
proteins. But he says he expects to find them. "It is unlikely that the
prions are not in the milk," says Aguzzi, a pathologist at the University
of Zurich Hospital, Switzerland. "And the prospect is not a pleasant one."
Earlier this year, his group found prions in inflamed pancreases, livers
and kidneys. A study last month showed that the urine produced by inflamed
kidneys in mice also contains prions."

MAD COW MAY HAVE GOTTEN INTO HUMAN FOOD SUPPLY: (11/01/05): "Researchers
hunting the herd linked to the first U.S. case of mad cow disease found
most of the animals were slaughtered - and possibly in the human food
supply - even before the government probe began. The federal and state
governments closed an investigation into the infected cow, which was raised
at an unidentified Texas ranch, at the end of August. But the Dallas
Morning News obtained details about the search for the 413 cows and calves
on Tuesday under a Texas Open Records request. About 350 of them, or
roughly 85 percent, were sent for slaughter.

The reports, compiled for the Texas Animal Health Commission by a
government employee, demonstrate how problematic it was to track the herd
mates and progeny of the diseased cow. With 14 million cattle in Texas
alone, a more efficient system is necessary, insiders say."

[Very edited from the long and quite detailed article at:
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/nation/13055406.htm

REPORT FINDS FLAWS IN MAD COW TEST PROGRAM: (11/09/05): "Government
investigators say testing is too slow at times to prevent cattle from
eating feed that might be contaminated, just one flaw they cited in a
program to help stop mad cow disease from spreading. Feed safeguards are
the most important firewall against mad cow disease, said Sen. Tom Harkin,
D-Iowa, who sought the report the Government Accountability Office issued
Wednesday.

"If FDA's testing program is not catching violations, and catching them in
time, that needs to be corrected immediately," Harkin said. FDA disputed
the findings, arguing that the report unfairly focused on a small component
of broad government efforts to stop mad cow disease. In half the feed
samples analyzed, FDA took more than a month to determine whether banned
cattle protein was present. Cattle feed is eaten quickly after it's
manufactured, and the feed may have been consumed before tests are
finished, GAO said. The report examined 989 samples analyzed from August
2003 through June."

JAPAN INSPECTS US MEAT PROCESSING PLANTS AMID MAD COW FEARS: (11/02/05):
"The US Government has bowed to Japanese demands to inspect meat processing
plants to ensure traceability for mad cow disease is adequate. It is the
first time Japan has inspected the processing plants of another country.
The announcement comes after Japan's Food Safety Commission adopted a draft
report paving the way for the resumption of US beef imports from cattle
aged up to 20 months."

[Edited from:
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2005/s1496135.htm

DEER VERSION OF MAD COW DISEASE FEARED: (11/16/05): "With hunting season
opening throughout the Northeast, it is now illegal to transport deer into
Connecticut from New York due to a deer version of Mad Cow Disease. The
illness -- called chronic wasting disease -- was discovered in a herd near
Utica earlier this year, and it is feared western Connecticut's already
shrinking herd will be infected and further decimated. It is not now known
if deer can pass the disease to humans, but that question is now under
study. "

[Edited from:
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=4127811&nav=3YeX

KOREA TO RESUME US BEEF IMPORTS: (11/20/05): "South Korea is expected to
resume the import of North American beef following a request by the United
States during the just-ended Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) forum
in Busan(Pusan). During the APEC meeting, the U.S. delegation called for
the Korean government to lift the ban on U.S. beef imports and domestic
policymakers promised a serious internal discussion over the issue,
according to Korean officials. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(MOAF) will hold a conference on livestock quarantine on Nov. 29 to discuss
with a variety of experts whether to import the American beef. According
to sources, experts have tentatively agreed that there are few problems
with the American beef.

Korea is Asia's fourth-largest beef consumer and was the third-largest
importer of U.S. beef before the initial ban from the first case of mad cow
disease took effect in 2003."

MARYLAND DNR ASKING FOR HELP WITH CWD: (11/20/05): "In an effort to protect
the state's deer herd from Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) requests that Maryland deer hunters
voluntarily abide by certain guidelines when bringing deer parts into
Maryland from West Virginia or other CWD-positive states or Canadian
provinces. CWD, a fatal disease of deer and elk, was recently discovered in
several white-tailed deer in Hampshire County, W.V."

OFFICIALS CONFIRM ANOTHER SICK DEER: (11/21/05): "A 7 1/2-year-old
Hampshire County whitetail doe that was found alive but weak and
disoriented three weeks ago was confirmed Friday to have chronic wasting
disease, bringing to five the number of infected deer within the county.
New York and West Virginia are the only two states in the extreme eastern
United States where the disease has been confirmed. The illness, which
attacks the animals' brains, is always fatal. CWD had previously been
confirmed in deer from Colorado, South Dakota, Wisconsin and other Rocky
Mountain and northern plains states as well as some Canadian provinces.
CWD has not been known to jump species barriers and infect humans."

PA GAME COMMISSION PREPARES TO COLLECT SAMPLES FOR CWD TESTING:
(11/21/05): "While there continues to be no known cases of chronic wasting
disease (CWD) in the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, joined
by veterinarians and laboratory technicians from the Pennsylvania and U.S.
Departments of Agriculture, is stepping up its efforts next week to verify
that fact.

"Currently, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of CWD-infected deer
or elk in Pennsylvania, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that
it stays that way," said Vern Ross, Game Commission executive director.
"We are planning to collect samples from 4,000 hunter-killed deer to test
for CWD. Last year, we tested samples from 3,699 deer, all of which were
negative for CWD." To learn more about CWD, visit the agency's website
(http://www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on the "CWD Update" section."

************************************************
*06: Meat=Bad Lungs, Non-human Meat Molecules, Beef vs Pasta
************************************************
MEAT-RICH DIET IS BAD FOR YOUR LUNGS: (11/16/05): "Individuals whose
diets are rich in meat, refined starches and sodium are 1.43 times more
likely to suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), like
persistent coughs with phlegm, than those who consume a diet high in fruit
and soy, a new study has found. According to the study, published in
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers
analyzed data to assess the usual dietary intake of 52,325 participants.
Although the study was conducted within a Singaporean population, the
dietary patterns are reflective of U.S. eating patterns."

HAMBURGERS CAUSE ASTHMA, NZ RESEARCH SAYS: (11/08/05): "Eating hamburgers
more than once a week nearly doubles the risk of asthma attacks and
wheezing in children, according to research carried out on 1300 New Zealand
school pupils. Other takeaway food and fizzy drinks also increase the
chances of getting asthma, doctors found. Youngsters who eat at least one
hamburger a week are 75 per cent more likely to have asthma and almost 100
per cent more likely to suffer wheezing problems, according a study
published yesterday in the international scientific journal Allergy. They
used 1321 children in Hastings, aged between 10 and 12 years.

Asthma is worst in developed countries, which tend to have about 6 per cent
of their population affected. New Zealand has the highest incidence in
developed countries at 20 per cent."

NON-HUMAN MOLECULE IS ABSORBED BY EATING RED MEAT: (09/29/03): "A
non-human, cellular molecule is absorbed into human tissues as a result of
eating red meat and milk products, according to a study by researchers at
the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine,
published online the week of September 29, 2003 in Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. The researchers also showed that the same
foreign molecule generates an immune response that could potentially lead
to inflammation in human tissues.

Several previous studies have linked ingestion of red meat to cancer and
heart disease, and possibly to some disorders involving inflammation.
However, that research has primarily focused on the role of red-meat
saturated fats and on products that arise from cooking."

BEEF VS PASTA: (09/2005): "In terms of negative effects on the
environment, eating meat is number two on a list compiled by the Union of
Concerned Scientists (UCS). For example, beef production accounts for 17
times more water pollution damage than pasta production, according to Waren
Leon, PhD, coauthor of The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental
Choices and Is Our Food Safe? (Three Rivers Press, 1999 and 2002,
respectively). "Because it also uses far more land than grain, the
production of beef is 20 times more threatening to wildlife habitats than
the production of pasta," he says.

According to UCS estimates, "70 percent of antibiotics in the U.S. are fed
to healthy pigs, cows, and chickens to promote growth and prevent disease."
This group also reports that "the Centers for Disease Control considers
animal use of antibiotics to be the major cause of food-borne illnesses
that resist treatment with antibiotics."

[P. 51, September 2005, Taste for Life (magazine)]

************************************************
*07: Beans/Soy Reduce Cancer, +4 Yrs. Life, Vegan=Weight Loss
************************************************
SOY-RICH DIET MAY REDUCE LUNG CANCER RISK: (09/27/05): "A diet rich in
phytoestrogens such as those found in soy as well as spinach, carrots and
broccoli appears to reduce the risk of lung cancer, researchers report.
Researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center here say they have found
evidence that food-derived compounds called phytoestrogens, nonsteroidal
substances that weakly mimic estrogen, have a protective effect.

In the study, participants whose diets included the most phytoestrogens had
a 46% reduction in the risk of lung cancer. "To our knowledge, this is the
first large study looking at phytoestrogen intake as a protective agent
against lung cancer," she said [Margaret Spitz, M.D., senior author of the
study in the Sept. 28 Journal of the American Medical Association].
Between July 1995 and October 2003, the researchers recruited 1,674 lung
cancer patients and 1,735 matched healthy controls."

A DIET RICH IN BEANS MAY MEAN MORE PROTECTION AGAINST CANCER: (09/15/05):
"A natural compound that is found in everyday foods such as beans, nuts and
cereals has been identified by scientists as a potent agent for fighting
cancer. Research [published in latest issue of Cancer Research] suggests
that diets high in substances containing the compound, which has been shown
to inhibit the growth of tumours, could help to prevent cancer, while the
chemical offers a new weapon for treating the disease.

Foods particularly rich in the compound, inositol pentakisphosphate, known
as InsP5, include cashews and peanuts and beans such as kidney, pinto and
navy beans, the pulse commonly used in baked beans. Beans and nuts that
have been cooked are a better source because the heating process generates
more InsP5 as it breaks down other compounds."

STUDY: WORKING OUT CAN ADD 4 YEARS TO YOUR LIFE: (11/14/05): People who
get a good workout almost daily can add nearly four years to their life
spans, according to the first study to quantify the impact of physical
activity. Researchers looked at records of more than 5,000 middle-aged and
elderly Americans and found that those who had moderate to high levels of
activity lived 1.3 to 3.7 years longer than those who got little exercise,
largely because they put off developing heart disease.

"This shows that physical activity really does make a difference - not only
for how long you live but for how long you live a healthy life," said Oscar
Franco of the Erasus M.C. University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the
Netherlands, who led the study published Monday in the Archives of Internal
Medicine.

People who engaged in moderate activity - the equivalent of walking for 30
minutes a day for five days a week - lived about 1.3 to 1.5 years longer
than those who were less active. Those who took on more intense exercise -
the equivalent of running half an hour a day for five days every week -
extended their lives by about 3.5 to 3.7 years.'

[Edited from:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/3460995.html

LOW-FAT VEGAN DIET MAY SPUR WEIGHT LOSS: (09/23/05): "A diet free of
animal products and low in fat may help trim the waistline without the task
of strict calorie watching, a new study suggests. Researchers found that
of 64 postmenopausal, overweight women, those assigned to follow a low-fat
vegan diet for 14 weeks lost an average of 13 pounds, compared with a
weight loss of about 8 pounds among women who followed a standard
low-cholesterol diet. The weight loss came despite the fact that the women
were given no limits on their portion sizes or daily calories -- and
despite the fact that the vegan diet boosted their carbohydrate intake.

[Dr. Neal] Barnard and his colleagues at George Washington and Georgetown
universities report the findings in the American Journal of Medicine.
Despite the restrictions of going vegan, Barnard maintained that it's easy
to take on the lifestyle. "Just eat fruits, vegetables, beans and whole
grains," he said. "Everything you're eating is good for you." It is wise,
he noted, to take a multivitamin, particularly to get enough vitamin B12,
which is found naturally only in animal products."

************************************************
*08: Dolphins/Batman, 175 Yrs. Vegan, Climate Mash & Top 10
************************************************
THE OLDEST CREATURE ON EARTH IS VEGAN: (10/19/05): "She was hatched when
Queen Victoria was still a teenager... next month she'll be 175. Her skin
is wrinkled and she's carrying a few extra pounds, but there's still a
twinkle in the old girl's eyes. In fact she's in uncommonly good shape for
someone who was born before Victoria came to the throne. Harriet, a giant
Galapagos Land tortoise and the world's oldest living creature, celebrates
her 175th birthday on November 15. Experts at her home in Australia Zoo,
Brisbane, Queensland, reckon she will still be going strong in another 20
years.

"There's really not much of a precedent for such long-living reptiles, so
we're basing our estimate on the fact that she really shows no signs of
slowing down," says Richard Jackson, head reptile keeper. And nothing
makes her happier than a bunch of flowers and a good scratch. Harriet dines
on a [vegan] diet of aubergines, courgettes, string beans, parsley, squash,
endives, carrots, tomatoes, bok choi and her favourite morning treat - pink
hibiscus flowers."

DOLPHINS SING 'BATMAN' THEME: (10/03/05): "Dolphins are the only mammals
other than humans to recognise rhythms and reproduce them vocall.
Scientists have taught dolphins to combine both rhythm and vocalisations to
produce music, resulting in an extremely high-pitched, short version of the
Batman theme song. The findings, outlined in two studies, are the first
time that nonhuman mammals have demonstrated they can recognise rhythms and
reproduce them vocally. Gordon Bauer, associate professor of psychology at
the New College of Florida who did not work on the studies, says, "This is
the first report, to my knowledge, of a nonhuman mammal's ability to
discriminate rhythmic patterns.""

[Edited from:
http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1473208.htm

MONSTER MASH" TO FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING: (10/18/05): ""The Monster Mash,"
the song that defines Halloween, is being brought back to life again today
with the help of the original recording artist and a new Web-based appeal
to fight global warming. The song and a new Flash movie, both available at
http://www.climatemash.org, ask the public to tell their elected
representatives in Washington that they want action on global warming.
2004 Flash movie version of "Monster Mash," recorded by Pickett to protest
the Bush roadless forest rule, was an Internet smash that attracted 398,202
unique visitors who downloaded the song 490,318 times in the two weeks
before last Halloween.

Clear the Air (http://www.cleartheair.org) is a national public education
campaign to combat global warming and improve air quality by reducing
emissions from coal-burning power plants."

************************************************
*09: Disaster Petition, New Film, Gorilla Tools, One Right for All
************************************************
PETITION: DON'T ABANDOM ANIMALS IN DISASTERS: (11/2005): "Sign this
petition to support The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act
(PETS Act, H.R. 3858), currently in Congress, that will protect pets in
federal evacuation plans, and urge officials to save currently stranded
pets. Some Hurricane Katrina victims refused to leave home because they
couldn't take their animals with them, resulting in even more casualties.
Furthermore, the Humane Society of the United States believes that while
more than 7,000 animals have been saved in Mississippi and Louisiana,
hundreds more may still be in need of rescue more than a month after
Katrina hit. Pressure is still needed to save these animals, and a formal
policy is needed to protect pets in future disasters, like Hurricane Rita.
Sign today at:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/256230705?ltl=1132578400

EARTHLINGS FILM ON ANIMALS: (10/2005): "Earthlings" is a feature length
documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets,
food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) but also
illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called "non-human
providers." The film is narrated by Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix
(GLADIATOR) and features music by the critically acclaimed platinum artist
Moby. With an in-depth study into pet stores, puppy mills and animals
shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and
entertianment industries, and finally the medical and scientific
profession... Powerful, informative and thought-provoking, EARTHLINGS is by
far the most comprehensive documentary ever produced on the correlation
between nature, animals, and human economic interests."

[Edited from:
http://www.isawearthlings.com/thefilm.html

WILD GORILLAS SEEN USING TOOLS FOR FIRST TIME: (09/30/05): "Two female
gorillas have been photographed using sticks as tools to get through swampy
areas, the first time the apes have been seen doing so in the wild,
researchers reported on Thursday. "This is a truly astounding discovery,"
said Thomas Breuer of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Max Planck
Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who led the
study. "Although there are reports of tool use by captive gorillas,
including object throwing and use of tools in feeding, there has been to
our knowledge no reported case of tool use in by wild gorillas, despite
decades of field research," they wrote in their report, published in the
Public Library of Science Biology, an online journal."

ONE RIGHT FOR ALL: (10/08/05): "The October 8 issue of New Scientist,
includes a commentary piece on animal rights by Professor Gary Francione.
Here's an excerpt:

"[snip] Is there a morally sound reason not to extend this single right -
the right not to be treated as property - to animals? Or to ask the
question another way, why do we deem it acceptable to eat animals, hunt
them, confine and display them in circuses and zoos, use them in
experiments or rodeos, or otherwise treat them in ways in which we would
never think it appropriate to treat any human irrespective of how "humane"
we were being?

[big snip] Recognising animal rights really means accepting that we have a
duty not to treat sentient non-humans as resources. The interesting
question is not whether the cow should be able to sue the farmer for cruel
treatment, but why the cow is there in the first place."

[The above excerpted from the post with the full letter at:
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/luciedove/vpost?id=693768&trail=

************************************************
*10: Vegan Eats Blog, Health Study, Anti-Vegan?, & Raw Debate
************************************************
WHAT DO VEGANS EAT?: (2005): "It's rather simple. This blog collects
pictures and descriptions of vegan foods. Vegan foods are foods that do not
contain any animal products. In general, that means no meat, poultry, fish,
yogurt, milk, cheese, cream, butter, eggs, or other dairy or egg products.
Because so many common foods aren't vegan, people who are vegan or try to
eat vegan often get asked "what do you eat?" This blog attempts to respond
to that question by collecting online various examples of vegan foods, for
your culinary enjoyment."

[Note: anyone can post a picture of their meal! Check it out at:
http://whatdoveganseat.blogspot.com/

VEGAN HEALTH STUDY - CLINICAL SUMMARY 2005: "The Vegan Health Study
examines vegan health through analyzing questionnaires submitted by over
900 participants... and... also incorporates findings of numerous surveys
of the medical literature, and clinical interviews with many vegans in the
past seven years. Specifically, it addresses three primary issues: 1. The
major health advantages associated with vegan diets, 2. The major risks
for nutritional deficiencies and disease states associated with vegan
diets, and 3. Recommendations for dietary patterns that minimize risks and
optimize health and function for long-term vegans."

[NOTE: this is a very important study and a MUST-READ for any vegan. Dr.
Klaper's study shows that one can be a "bad vegan," and he provides several
suggestings for an optimal diet and lifestyle to offset those potential
problems.

RAW FOOD HEATS UP SOME PROS AND CONS: (08/24/05): "Raw food as an
alternative lifestyle has been promoted since the '50s. In recent years,
the success of raw-food restaurants in California has spread the concept
nationwide. With Raw (Ten Speed Press, 2003), two visionary chefs --
Charlie Trotter in Chicago, Roxanne Klein in San Francisco -- created a
landmark volume celebrating raw food, giving it gourmet glam and nudging it
into the culinary mainstream. Certainly, eating some raw food is natural
and healthful; raw-food vegetarian diets can promote health and healing.
But questions of long-term success, and possible vitamin deficiencies,
remain. Face it, the concept runs counter to evolution and thousands of
years of cooking.

If that's not enough to stir controversy, add the nutritional complexities
to the mix and you could have a food war on your hands. Here are a few of
the pros and cons:"

ANTI-VEGAN PATROL HARD TO SWALLOW: (09/28/05): "In 2003, apparently short
on terrorists to monitor, the Homeland Security division of the DeKalb
Police Department dispatched an undercover detective to spy on a few vegans
holding an animal cruelty protest. Police ended up arresting two who had
been handing out anti-meat leaflets near a HoneyBaked Ham store. In
rounding up vegans, the county's Homeland Security division not only looks
foolish, it looks pointless. If homeland security employees have time to
spy on sandal-wearing, tofu-loving vegans, then there's apparently not a
whole lot of work for them to do. They end up wasting time on petty and
embarrassing arrests that can lead to federal lawsuits like the one filed
Thursday by Caitlin Childs and Christopher Freeman.

It's hard to fathom any rationale reason why Homeland Security officers
would be shadowing people for advocating a veggie diet. Last time we
checked, terrorists were throwing bombs, not broccoli."

["Nutritional Content of Foods Advertised During the Television Programs
Children Watch Most:"
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/95/9/1568?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RE
SULTFORMAT=&fulltext=junk%2Bfood%2Bads&searchid=1129224826917_1799&stored_search
=&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=95&issue=9&journalcode=ajph

["Posters showing gristle, bone and tissue will appear across the UK:"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4413144.stm

["Vegetarian Phrases In Other Languages:"
http://www.hedweb.com/animals/vegphrase.htm

************************************************
*13: Closing Thought(s)
************************************************
"But it turned out that the cause of my backache was not my nuptial antics
but a tumor that had been growing for so long, it was practically old
enough to vote. The damned thing had been sneaking up ojn me, and when it
finally pounced, it pounced hard --- preventing me from walking, from even
being able to feel the floor beneath my feet. The doctor told me that I
needed an operation to remove the tumor, and that the odds I would ever
walk again were one in a million. I promised myself that whatever the
outcome of the operation, I'd dedicate the balance of my life to restoring
health to the land I had damaged, and to fighting those agri-business
interests that continue to destroy the fertile earth that should be our
birthright.

My operation was successful. Every day I thank God that I can walk, and I
renew my vow. I can truly say that my life splits neatly into two parts:
before the operation, when I was dangerously unhealthy, thoughtless,
self-centered, and devoid of compassion for the animals I slaughtered; and
after, when the lessons I've learned about kindness and compassion have
taken me on a journey that has restored my own health.

...but the smartest thing I ever did was to start down a path that
eventually led me to become a vegan."

--- Howard, in "No More Bull!" (p. 7-8)

"BECAUSE heart disease is the number one killer in America.
BECAUSE it doesn't take anything away from a human to be kind to an animal.
BECAUSE this tradition of eating animals "for traditions sake" should be
replaced
... with better traditions.
BECAUSE wincing at animal suffering speaks well of our humanity.
BECAUSE eating meat and dairy is unhealthy for us.
BECAUSE it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of beef.
AND BECAUSE it only takes 1 pound of grain to produce 1 pound of bread.
BECAUSE 400 pound animals in factory farms are trapped inside 7 foot
crates, 22 inches wide.
BECAUSE fattening animals up for slaughter produces environmental waste.
BECAUSE most animals are vertebrae (having spinal columns) just like us.
BECAUSE animals feel pain."